House Djevak
The Djevaks of Mold Marsh have a sinister reputation – part of this rises from their murky fief and its narcotic foliage, and part of it comes from their deep, almost inborn knowledge of espionage. Their spies are rumored to have infiltrated every Noble House, and their keep is said to house an entire library of blackmail, which is faithfully updated every single day. They have proved useful to their fellow nobles in the past, but everyone fears their velvet fist. Will that fear be enough to clear their way to power? House Djevak controls Mold Marsh through their three vassals, Houses Hassan, Grenling, and Kaedwyn. Their victory over Zvarak the Conqueror has expanded their territory considerably, while securing them against attack. They rule from the Nascondus, a powerful fortress buried in the toxic muck of the swamp. Members Liber Djevak The Lord of House Djevak is reclusive and paranoid. He rarely leaves the safety of the Nascondus, preferring to have his minions execute his complex plans on his behalf. He is rarely parted from the mysterious mask he discovered during the war with Zvarak, a mask some say gives him the power to control the dead. Avram Djevak The younger brother of Lord Liber, Avram is outgoing and eloquent where his brother is antisocial and terse. He typically represents House Djevak in foreign matters, acting as a diplomat on his brother's behalf. History Origins House Djevak was created in 1478 BC by Saint Dorith, one of his last acts before perishing in the Mold Marsh Crusade. As such, the family have been at least publicly devout Ascensionists throughout their history, though the personal religious convictions of many members of the House have been regularly doubted. Decline Though House Djevak was originally a powerful family, the increasing influx of barbarian factions in Mold Marsh forced them to abandon slightly under half of their territory, including Castle Lonepoint, Castle Redan, the Wrekrin expanse, and the whole region of the Lowlands Marsh. Two of Djevak's vassal families, House Aedirn and House Temeri, were wiped out during this lengthy period of decline, in the years 23 BC and AR 30 respectively. These losses cost House Djevak a great deal of influence. They were no longer able to retain the large forces of Knights they relied upon in their glory days, and instead began to resort to guerilla warfare and espionage to keep their enemies at bay. Over the next few centuries, Djevak developed a highly advanced, professional spy network. They used blackmail and information brokering to maintain a steady stream of favors from the other Houses, allowing them to maintain the forces they needed to hold on to their remaining territory. This era of decline came to a hard-fought but abrupt end under the reign of Lord Liber Djevak, who took the seat of rule in AR 490. The Lowlands War In AR 500, House Djevak began to come under increasing attack from the Lowland Mutant Clans. Their initial investigations into this trend revealed that a warlord called Zvarak the Conqueror had begun to unite the Lowland Clans by force, and was preparing to invade Djevak territory. First Lowlands Expedition To put an end to the mutant attacks, Lord Djevak assembled a force to invade the Lowlands. He convinced Houses Kendar and Leibowitz to send some minor forces to his aid, and together their army numbered about fifteen companies in size. This allied force marched to the ruins of Castle Redan, former home of House Temeri, and established a small outpost there, before attacking a mutant settlement further into the Lowlands. They learned from the prisoners they captured there that Zvarak's army was much larger than they believed, and that he was currently at war with the last independent mutant faction. Realizing they did not have the forces to challenge the mutants, the allied force retreated and disbanded. Siege of Lonepoint House Djevak sent spies to the Lowlands, where they discovered that Zvarak was besieging Castle Lonepoint, which housed the apparent descendants of the thought-extinct House Aedirn. Djevak began secretly smuggling supplies to House Aedirn, hoping that a lengthy siege would wear down Zvarak's army. Second Lowlands Expedition Convinced that Zvarak's forces were weakened enough to be defeated, House Djevak again called on the other Great Families for aid. Houses Leibowitz and Kendar sent larger armies to their aid this time, and House Redmond also joined the allied forces. The combined army marched into the Lowlands and briefly pursued Zvarak's Horde, only to discover that the force they were pursuing was a diversion. Zvarak had taken the bulk of his forces to Seasedge Keep, the home of House Kaedwyn. Battle of Seasedge By the time the allied army arrived at Seasedge, it had fallen to Zvarak. The mutants had lost a large number of troops storming the castle, however, and a concerted deployment of House Leibowitz' and House Djevak's secret weapons weakened and demoralized the defenders. Zvarak agreed to parlay, but attacked the Djevak brothers at the meeting. They escaped with their lives, and launched an all-out assault on the castle. Casualties on both sides were immense, but Djevak deployed a piece of arcane technology that reanimated the dead soldiers. Zvarak's forces attempted to escape by boat, but the Djevaks ignited the Mottled Sea, incinerating the ships and the mutants.